Nathalie A. Smuha is a legal scholar and philosopher at the KU Leuven Faculty of Law and Criminology. Her scholarship lies at the intersection of law, philosophy and technology, with a particular focus on how AI and digital technologies impact human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Prof. Smuha is the author of Algorithmic Rule By Law: How Algorithmic Regulation in the Public Sector Erodes the Rule of Law and the editor of The Cambridge Handbook of the Law, Ethics and Policy of Artificial Intelligence (both Cambridge University Press, 2025). Her work received several awards and was covered in news articles across the world, where she is frequently asked to comment on technological developments. At Columbia, Prof. Smuha teaches on The Emerging Law of Artificial Intelligence. She also held visiting positions at New York University, the University of Chicago and the University of Birmingham.
Besides her academic activities, Prof. Smuha regularly advises governments and international organizations on AI policy. Previously, she worked at the European Commission, where she coordinated the work of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI and contributed to Europe’s AI policy. She was also a scientific expert in the Council of Europe’s (Ad Hoc) Committee on AI, contributed to UNESCO’s work on AI and education, and is part of the OECD’s Network of Experts on AI. Prior to her academic turn, she worked in private practice as a member of the New York Bar and the Brussels Bar.
Prof. Smuha holds BA and MA degrees in both law and philosophy from KU Leuven, a PhD in Law from KU Leuven, and an LL.M. from the University of Chicago.